Chester Boodles May Festival day one Wednesday 8th May 2024

The Chester Boodles May Festival gets underway on Wednesday with trials day. The Roodee, as the course is also known, is recognised as the oldest racecourse still in operation with horse racing in Chester dating back to the early sixteenth century, 1539 cited as the year racing began, although some sources give a date of 1512. It is a very sharp, tight turning track, something it always pays to remember , and is in fact  only just over a mile round, it's on the turn almost throughout and has a run-in of under two furlongs.  A low draw at Chester is an advantage, even in middle-distance races, especially so in large fields.

Best bet for day one of the Chester Boodles May Festival

After, by his high standards, what was an indifferent weekend for Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech winning the 2,000 Guineas aside, it is perhaps interesting he sends just one to the Roodee this week for the Chester meeting. Hidden Law is the only entry from Moulton Paddocks (entered in the G.3 Chester Vase and Listed Dee Stakes) and the three-year-old colt will run in the Group Three 1m4½f Chester Vase due off at 3.40 Wednesday. By Dubawi out of G.2 Middleton Stakes winner Secret Gesture (her fifth foal all five being winners) he is bred for middle-distances and I, along with a few fair judges I know, was impressed with his latest effort at Newbury. Not seen as a two-year-old he finished second on debut despite greenness at Southwell over 1m3f to the re-opposing Juddmonte colt Cadogan Place. He clearly learnt plenty from that experience when he duly won a 1m3f Newbury maiden in taking style by over 5-lengths when next seen in April. Aidan O'Brien, who has dominated Chester's key Classic trial in recent years, has declared Grosvenor Square, a member of my Dirty Dozen for 2024, and that one will be favourite. The most experienced colt lining-up he won on debut before finishing third in the G.2 Beresford Stakes over a mile on soft at the Curragh. He rounded off his two-year-old campaign winning the 1m2f G.3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown on heavy. I mentioned at the start of the year I think he might be a St Leger colt as being by Galileo out of Wadyhatta there is plenty of stamina in the pedigree. This is tricky for me but I have sided with the Godolphin owned colt as I think he may be better suited to the task this afternoon with the tight turning nature of the track with it’s short run-in unlikely to allow Grosvenor Square to be at his best. I am on at 9-4 this morning. If the two at the head of the market falter Cadogan Place looks the one to pick up the pieces. 

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